Mississippi Department of Education Mathematics Instructional Coaching Services
Assets & Needs Assessment #3
May 2022
As part of the first Assets & Needs Assessment, Teaching Lab conducted a variety of data collection activities, including a teacher survey and classroom observations, a student survey and analysis of student work samples, and a family survey.
Summary of Results
There are opportunities for participants to improve equitable mindsets, particularly surrounding the importance of recognizing students’ race and culture and holding high expectations for all students, even those with unfinished learning.
On average, participants are somewhat confident in implementing culturally responsive teaching practices. Teachers’ responses indicate that they feel most confident using students’ prior knowledge to help them make sense of new information. They rated themselves as less confident in other culturally responsive teaching practices, such as revising instructional material to better represent cultural groups and identifying ways that school culture is different from students’ home cultures, among others.
Teachers have potential for growth related to content and pedagogical content knowledge, as the average score on the assessment that focused on equitable instruction in general and effective instructional practices specifically for students with unfinished learning was 45%.
Regarding instructional practices, participants demonstrated the most positive ratings on the IPG for Core Action 1 (75% on average), which observes whether and to what extent the work of the enacted lesson reflects the Focus, Coherence, and Rigor required by college- and career-ready standards in mathematics. However, positive ratings for Core Action 2, focused on the extent to which instructional practices allow all students to learn the content of the lesson, and Core Action 3, providing all students with opportunities to exhibit mathematical practices while engaging with the content of the lesson, were significantly lower (29% and 24%, respectively).
Students’ responses related to their learning experiences were positive overall, especially for self-efficacy, teacher-student relationships, and being challenged. Lower average scores were observed for culturally responsive and sustaining education practices and happiness and sense of belonging.
The analysis of student work samples suggested that assigning grade-level tasks and students’ proficiency on tasks can improve. Of the student work samples collected, only 65% of the tasks were determined to be on grade-level. Moreover, only 31% of students demonstrated proficiency on grade-level student work tasks that were scored.
The family survey results suggest that students’ families have somewhat positive perceptions about teacher-family relationships and support and teacher-student relationships. Additionally, family perceptions of student learning were very positive, with 85% of caregivers reporting that their children complete most or all of their assignments and 92% reporting that their children have learned some or a lot this year.
Section 1: Participant Feedback
Ongoing Coaching Participant Feedback
End-of-Coaching Participant Feedback
Section 2: Mindsets
Equitable Mindsets Summary
Teachers responded to seven items about mindsets, including three items related to recognizing race and culture and four items related to holding high expectations for all students on a 5-point Likert scale. Composite measures were created for each construct by reverse coding some items and then averaging responses across items. In this way, higher scores correspond to holding equitable mindsets.
| Mindsets and Beliefs | |
|---|---|
| Percent | |
Overall Score |
63% |
Recognition of Race & Culture |
58% |
High Expectations & Beliefs |
58% |
Self-efficacy in CRSE Practices |
73% |
| n = 69.4285714285714 | |
Recognizing Race and Culture Items
| Recognition of Race & Culture | ||
|---|---|---|
| Question1 | Percent | |
Overall Score |
58% | |
I am color blind when it comes to my |
41% | |
The gap in the achievement among |
56% | |
I think about my own background and |
76% | |
| n = 69 | ||
| 1 For the items in red, responses that align to equitable mindsets are strongly disagree/disagree. They have been reverse coded for these analyses, so that for all items, higher percentages correspond to holding equitable mindsets. | ||
High Expectations items
| High Expectations & Beliefs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Question1 | Percent | |
Overall Score |
58% | |
I try to keep in mind the limits of |
50% | |
Before students are asked to engage in |
32% | |
It is not fair to ask students who |
61% | |
Teachers should provide all students |
87% | |
| n = 69 | ||
| 1 For the items in red, responses that align to equitable mindsets are strongly disagree/disagree. They have been reverse coded for these analyses, so that for all items, higher percentages correspond to holding equitable mindsets. | ||
Teachers also responded to six items about self-confidence in their ability to engage in culturally responsive and sustaining education (CRSE) practices on a scale from 0 (not at all confident) to 10 (extremely confident). Responses were averaged across items. Higher scores correspond to higher self confidence.
Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education Self-Efficacy Summary and Items
Section 3: Instructional Practices
Teaching Lab staff observed teachers using the IPG rubric. Ratings of 3 and 4 on 4-point Likert scales and Yes on a Yes/No items were considered positive.
IPG Ratings
Core Action 1
Core Action 2
Core Action 3
Section 4: Student Learning Experiences
Teachers administered a student survey to at least one of their groups. Using 5-point Likert-type scales, students responded to eight items related to their teachers’ engagement in CRSE practices, three items related to teacher-student relationships, five items about self-efficacy, six items about happiness and sense of belonging, and five items about being challenged. Responses were averaged across items. Higher scores correspond to more positive experiences.
| Pre1 | Post2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Positive Student Learning Environment Score | ||
| 78% | 82% | |
| Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Education | ||
| My teacher wants students from different cultures to respect one another. | 86% | 89% |
| My teacher uses what I already know to help me understand new ideas. | 82% | 85% |
| My teacher uses examples from my culture when teaching. | 65% | 69% |
| My teacher asks about ways that students’ cultures may be different from others. | 56% | 61% |
| My teacher helps students learn about other students and their cultures. | 58% | 60% |
| My teacher asks about students’ home life. | 52% | 58% |
| My teacher treats all students like they are important members of the classroom. | 85% | 91% |
| This class is a happy place for me to be. | 78% | 83% |
| Teacher-Student Relationships | ||
| I like the way my teacher treats me when I need help. | 85% | 89% |
| My teacher seems to know if something is bothering me. | 75% | 82% |
| I can do almost all the work in this class if I don’t give up. | 85% | 87% |
| Self-Efficacy | ||
| Even when work is hard, I know I can learn it. | 85% | 88% |
| I'm certain I can master the skills taught in this class. | 83% | 88% |
| When doing work for this class, I focus on learning, not the time work takes. | 78% | 83% |
| I have been able to figure out the most difficult work in this class. | 77% | 82% |
| My teacher makes sure that I try to do my best. | 90% | 91% |
| Happiness & Sense of Belonging | ||
| In this class, I feel like I belong. | 78% | 83% |
| Being in this class makes me feel sad or angry. | 46% | 48% |
| The things we have done in class this year are interesting. | 82% | 86% |
| Because of this teacher, I am learning to love this subject. | 80% | 87% |
| I enjoy this subject this year. | 79% | 87% |
| My teacher makes me feel that he/she really cares about me. | 82% | 89% |
| Being challenged | ||
| In this class, we learn a lot almost every day. | 87% | 88% |
| In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes. | 87% | 91% |
| In this class, my teacher accepts nothing less than our full effort. | 86% | 89% |
| My teacher wants us to use our thinking skills, not just memorize things. | 88% | 91% |
| 1 n = 1031 | ||
| 2 n = 302 | ||
Section 5: Student Math Proficiency
Teachers collected student work samples of a task that involved explaining mathematical thinking or reasoning from all students in at least one of their groups. Teaching Lab coaches first determined whether the task was on grade-level and whether it met the criteria of explaining mathematical thinking or reasoning. If so, then the work samples were scored using a 2-point rubric. Students who scored 2 on the rubric were considered to demonstrate proficiency on the grade-level task.
| Percent | n | |
|---|---|---|
| Student tasks on grade-level. | 65% | 160 |
| Students who demonstrated proficiency on a grade-level task | 31% | 52 |
Section 6: Family Experiences & Perceptions
Schools and teachers assisted in sending home a voluntary survey to their students’ families. Using Likert-type scales, caregivers responded to seven items related to teacher-family relationships and support, five items related to teacher-student relationships, and two items related to their child’s learning. Responses were averaged across items. Higher scores correspond to more positive family perceptions and experiences.
| Pre1 | Post2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Positive Family Experiences & Perceptions % | ||
| 77% | 85% | |
| Teacher-Family Relationships and Support | ||
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - I feel comfortable reaching out to my child’s teacher if I have questions or concerns | 83% | 92% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - I am satisfied with how often my child’s teacher engages with me. | 77% | 83% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child’s teacher communicates with me or other family members about my child’s educational progress. | 76% | 81% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child’s teacher structures parent-teacher conferences so that the meeting is not intimidating for me or other family members attending. | 75% | 79% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child’s teacher establishes positive home-school relationships. | 76% | 84% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child’s teacher communicates with me or family members of my child in positive ways, not just when there is a problem. | 75% | 88% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child is excited to go to class. | 76% | 86% |
| Teacher-Student Relationships | ||
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child is comfortable talking to their teacher. | 74% | 91% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child can get the help they need to complete their schoolwork. | 82% | 93% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - My child’s teacher regularly shares detailed feedback on my child’s work. | 74% | 80% |
| Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. - The work my child is being asked to do is helping them learn new things. | 80% | 88% |
| 1 n = 107 | ||
| 2 n = 16 | ||
Caregiver Perceptions of Student Learning
How many assignments does your child complete?
| Pre1 | Post2 | |
|---|---|---|
| All of their assignments | 49% | 73% |
| Most of their assignments | 34% | 20% |
| Some of their assignments | 8% | |
| Few of their assignments | 5% | 7% |
| I’m not sure | 4% | |
| 1 n = 77 | ||
| 2 n = 15 | ||
Which best matches your belief about your child’s experience so far this year?
| Pre1 | Post2 | |
|---|---|---|
| My child has learned a lot this year. | 53% | 80% |
| My child has learned some this year. | 40% | 13% |
| My child has learned a little this year. | 5% | 7% |
| My child has learned nothing this year. | 1% | |
| 1 n = 77 | ||
| 2 n = 15 | ||
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